.Elementals.

-44-

I hadn't gone to the healers, not feeling like getting scolded for using a bow with too taunt of a string and old enough for it to snap and cut my face in addition to my fingers, it deserved to sang its last song and rest in peace but they wouldn't understand.

No one would be able really, I know there had been mages before me able to get such a deep connection with plants as I do but I never found books speaking of the souls inside bows and someone talking to this big elm I was sitting under, I guess if they somehow force me into the head mage role I will need to write a book about it like Belladonna had written a book classing in groups every last known plants in order, it was a thick book.

The laceration from the broken recurve of the bow was actually really deep, from the upper point of my cheek bone and straight down and over my jaw bone, bones which I could see in the mirror... Yeah that deep, it will leave a scar like the cut in my brow.

My hand was dripping with blood as I held the edges of the wound against each other and seared my flesh close.

It was quite painful but all that showed on my face was my furred brows and eyes closed.

I sighed when I was finally done with my face, reaching to undo my bracer on my left hand and setting it aside before pulling off my fingerless glove.

I dipped a cloth in the bucket I got and had heated up the water as it helps more with avoiding infection.

I cleaned off my right hand, face, my corset and left fingers of blood, the water taking a slight reddish tint from the amount coming off and using my magic to clean what wouldn't come out by itself.

I didn't burn my fingers as I couldn't risk their temporarily reduced movement if the next trial asked for that so I put some healing balm on them and wrapped them individually in clean bandages before putting glove and bracer back on.

I stood up and brought the bucket back inside.

I could have used the door.... But what would that be?

"I have a door you know." Audrey said with a slight smirk despite the scolding tone as I hovered by her window on vines.

"I prefer this way, a little touch of originality." I smiled as she stepped aside and let me hop inside. "And how you doing with the gifts?"

There was a small pile of gifts given from the remaining suitors set on her bed, it was another custom, to already try to win over the queen's heart before you are actually married to her.

"Well some are actually useful." She held up an intricate candle holder that could hold three. "And some are.... Just look at this...." She held up a huge orc club with some difficulty making my laugh brightly at the scene.

"Yeah you can't really use that can you?" I said as she shoved that off her bed and it thumbed against the ground.

"Not at all, I didn't find anything from you."

"Do I really need a gift to be favored?"

"No you don't, just made on observation, you do follow tradition usually."

"I already won so what good would it do? Plus if you know me it would have been another flower most likely."

"True in all aspects." She said, looking through the gifts as I leaned against the window sill. "And I find it amusing the pair you and Ethan formed."

"Don't remind me of that, that was the worst dance of mine life, I call fights dances but this dance was a fight itself."

"I could see that, it was humorous to watch and spectacular at the same time with all the slight missteps just off enough to bother the other."

"Ah you noticed?"

"I've spied on my mage for a long time of course I would notice a shift in your behavior."

"What can I sa--DON'T!!" I jumped forth as she opened a small jewelry box, blasting with air the spirit that rose from it, the black form splattered onto the wall and faded into it, now set free and on the hunt for the one that freed it.

"What was that?"

"A dybbuk box made with a jewelry box."

"A dy-what?"

"The dybbuk box is usually a wine box which is said to be haunted by a dybbuk. A dybbuk is a restless, usually malicious, spirit believed to be able to haunt and even possess the living and you set it free, to fully free itself it needs to kill the one to open their box." I grabbed the small wooden box examining it, I spotted a small symbol on it used solely to catch these hateful spirits but in really small and the seal wasn't completely, it is usually closed with red or black wax but that was missing. "Someone intentionally didn't finish the seal.... Another murder attempt."

"What do we do now?"

"The only one thing can be done."

"And what's that?"

"A spirit hunt."

"And we kill it after we find it?"

"No we can't."

"Then what?"

"We seal it ourselves."